~Andrea~

Interesting thoughts on The Handmaid's Tale Ian. I too struggled a bit but overall really liked it. I found the subject a bit too extreme, but it was so beautifully written I could forgive it that. I was undeniably hooked as I read it, and found it to be the sort of book that stays with you afterwards, which is the best kind really.

That sounds like a big job Kylie! Good luck with it and well done for what you've achieved so far.

Forest Mage by Robin Hobb This is book two of the Soldier Son trilogy. The Speck plague has devastated the city of Old Thares and the Cavalla training academy. Nevare Burvelle, who has made a remarkable recovery from the plague makes his way home for his brother's wedding, only to find a cool welcome awaits. Not only was he infected with the plague, he has also been infected by Speck magic, which leads to uncomfortable side-effects which only exacerbate his problems at home and make him unfit to serve in the army. Eventually he heads East, to the only regiment which will probably have him, and to the land of the Specks themselves. Overall I enjoyed reading this but I did find it very slow, especially the second half. As usual I enjoy the characters and worlds that Robin Hobb creates however I have no idea why this book needed to be over 800 pages long. There aren't enough dramatic scenes and much of the second half of the book seems to focus on the main character's introspection which I found quite repetitive and somewhat irritating. I did wonder if she was writing to a publisher-set page count target as well as a deadline. I didn't love the main character either, I kept shaking my head at his apparent dullness. The reader is given much more insight than the protagonist, and it makes him comes across as stupid at times. The subject matter is also a little odd for me. The magic in this book is somewhat sexual and sensual and there are a few sex scenes which I just found a bit tedious and jarring after a while. So it's not her best book, but I still found it strangely readable and want to know what happens next. So I will be reading the third book, however from what I have heard, I wont get my hopes up.

Ah mystery solved! Thanks Hayley. And welcome AdminBCF

This is an intriguing new user. Who is the mysterious AdminBCF? Is it an existing admin in a new disguise? (Sorry, being nosy!)

We did the chrysalids in school. I remember really enjoying it but don't remember if we read the whole thing or just bits of it. I ought to give it a re-read I think.

Beneath the Bleeding by Val McDermid From Amazon: When Robbie Bishop, star midfielder for the Bradfield Vics, is poisoned by a rare and deadly toxin, profiler Dr Tony Hill and trusted colleague DCI Carol Jordan have their work cut out for them. Robbie was adored, so the public want answers – but the answers aren't coming, and trails are running cold. Then a bomb explodes in the football stadium, causing massive casualties – and another man dies from poisoning. Is there a link between the cases? And what are the motives for these crimes? The clock is ticking for Tony and Carol – and the death toll keeps rising… I picked this up because I really enjoyed Wire in the Blood on TV and this is from the same series. I enjoyed reading it and was engaged and interested in the story, but I didn't find the characters other the two main ones very interesting. They all seemed to merge into each other and I couldn't tell them apart. Like most detective novels I've read, I enjoyed it well enough but it didn't really stay with me. Perhaps whodunnits just aren't really my thing. I think many detective novels are pretty formulaic and I suppose that's the problem I had with this one. If you know what to expect though you'd probably find this enjoyable enough.

The only one that springs to mind is Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, though I suspect you're looking for something a bit more recent? There are some lists on Goodreads but I'm not familiar with any of them so I can't comment I'm afraid. Good question though. Are there any that you would recommend?

I'm not loving Jodie Whittaker either, though I do like her as an actor. I also have no problem with a female doctor. (I'd love to see Miriam Margolyes in the role). I find Jodie Whittaker plays a very flustered doctor, always on the back foot and yes a little forced. Hopefully she'll settle into the role though. I loved Capaldi, he was my favourite of the new doctors, so I guess she has a lot to live up to for me.

It's not always at the end of a page when it's in a post. Sometimes it's just in the post:

No I haven't. I would like to though, as I very much enjoyed reading this one, apart from the ending of course. (I just found it a let down after being so thoroughly hooked.) Thank you I'll check out the Cicero trilogy. I've heard good things about his Roman historical novels!

Thanks Hayley. I was on desktop PC. EDIT: I'm still seeing it occasionally. I'll see an ad at the bottom of a page, and the same ad will appear in the middle of a post in that thread, on PC. It's not a huge issue for me though, just slightly annoying. It would be worse on mobile I suppose but I don't browse the forum on my phone.

I saw an ad in the middle of a thread post just now.

Conclave by Robert Harris The Pope is dead, which means a new pope must be elected quickly and in absolute secrecy. Over a hundred cardinals from around the world must spend 72 hours confined to vatican city amidst the ambition and rivalry of the frontrunners. I really enjoyed reading this. I didn't expect to. I didn't really know what to expect and actually as I started reading it, for at least 50 pages or so, I thought I wouldn't like it at all. I expected it to be dull and found it a slow start. However as the story unfolded I became thoroughly absorbed. The details of the world were very well researched and fascinating and as I got to know the characters and the factions, each round of voting became nail-biting. As I raced towards the end I thought this was going to be a real favourite of the year. Sadly I hated the ending and it ruined the book for me. So while I wanted to love this book, and almost did, I was ultimately disappointed.

I've been meaning to re-read those two A Mole books at some point too, and then move on to the later ones. I just hope the later ones don't disappoint as I loved the teenage diaries!

Definitely the Farseer trilogy Hayley. It's the first chronologically of 4 trilogies (plus other books) all set in the same world. The first book is Assassin's Apprentice. I hope you get to read it (and love it!)

Shaman's Crossing by Robin Hobb Nevare Burvelle is the second son of a Gernian noble and as such is destined for life in the military. His father, himself a second son and a soldier, promoted to noble status by the king, is concerned that Nevare doesn't have what it takes. He sends him off for survival training with a warrior of the Kidona tribe, a traditional enemy of the civilised Gernians and regarded as savages by them. His father hadn't bargained on the strange tribal magic Nevare would encounter there that leave his son changed and conflicted about where his loyalties truly lie. When Nevare eventually goes to military academy, he has to battle not only the prejudices and hostility of the old aristocracy who don't take kindly to the new nobles, but also the tribal magic within as it vies for dominance in the young soldier. I'd heard that this was a slow trilogy so I was expecting to struggle with this, however I found it an easy and engaging read with plenty of action to keep me interested. It's set in an entirely different world to Hobb's other trilogies which all have overlapping places, characters and themes. It's perhaps not as good as some of her other stuff, but I still enjoyed reading it. Then again I am a bit of a die hard fan so maybe it's just me!

Well hello again everyone! I'm so glad I can come back to this thread! Some reviews of what I've read in the interim will follow!

This is fantastic!Thanks Hayley, Michelle and Gaia. I look forward to getting stuck in again!

Bye Raven. And goodbye to anyone else not joining FB or GR. It's been a pleasure!

I'll be gettiing my content this weekend too. Get well soon Sari

Yes please I'll help. Err not sure actually. I'll check later and join if not. EDIT: I've joined!!

Thanks Michelle. I'd be happy to give it a go if people want to use that group.

I've just been right clicking the web pages and choosing "Save Page As". It then very slowly saves the webpage and a folder for all the images etc. You can view them offline in a web browser. Obviously once the site goes down any internal (BCF) links on those pages won't work.

You sum it up well! I'm not a huge lover of FB even though I use it quite a bit. I'll probably dip in and out of the group but like you I find it a bit busy.